Cholesterol Tests May Become Routine In Naperville 6th Grade

A decade ago, the results of teen cholesterol tests helped trigger a revolution in the way physical education and nutrition were taught in Naperville School District 203.

Now, medical and school leaders want to make those screenings a routine in 6th and 9th grades, so parents and teachers can see if they are making a dent in students' sedentary, fast-food lifestyles.

The program, which is expected to be launched at Madison Junior High this fall, then expanded to other junior highs and high schools, is part of a partnership with District 203 and the Edward Cardiovascular Institute.

Phil Lawler, the district's physical education coordinator and a Madison teacher, said he wants to make the tests part of the curriculum in 6th grade, when pupils are learning about nutrition and how physical activity affects lifetime fitness. The results could be included as part of a pupil's computerized fitness record, which will allow students to track their progress from middle school until graduation. In 9th grade, the students would be tested again to see if the levels changed and whether that could be attributed to eating or exercise changes.

Lawler said the test is a yearly offering at Madison and the two Naperville high schools, but participation among the other four junior highs varies. He hopes that linking the test to the curriculum will encourage the other schools to make the screening a priority.

"This is a great opportunity for parents and students to see the connection of educating the total child," Lawler said.

Lawler has been pushing that connection since the late 1980s, when studies revealed that an alarming number of children were out of shape and overweight. At the same time, Dr. Vincent Bufalino, the medical director of Edward Cardiovascular Institute, conducted an American Heart Association study of cholesterol levels among DuPage County children. The screening, which included 3,600 kids age 6 to 18, revealed that 36 percent had elevated cholesterol levels.

At the time, few doctors routinely tested children for cholesterol, but the results inspired Edward to team up with schools to offer the tests on a broader basis.

Now, Edward offers the tests at district schools, but participation varies greatly, based on the support of the school's staff and the interest of the students. And because the results are given to the students on the same day, there is no way to see if their individual scores changed as they moved into high school, said Nancy Alcorn-Kell, manager of prevention and education services for Edward Cardiovascular.

However, Edward has been able to track the progress that Madison has made in the five years since cholesterol tests were first offered, Alcorn-Kell said. In the first years, the number of kids with elevated cholesterol--defined as above 170 for those under 18--hovered around 40 percent. She said that number has dropped this year to about 30 percent.

That kind of progress has not been seen in other school communities, where testing consistently shows elevated levels of between 35 and 40 percent, Alcorn-Kell said.

"It's the result of community education and school efforts, as well as independent family choice," she said. She said parents take these results very seriously--especially when it happens with a child who is not overweight or inactive--and it usually inspires the family to be more careful about the frequency of fast-food dinners.

"Parents will often do for their children what they won't do for themselves," she said. "And this is a no-brainer.

"If you teach people, if you show them what they can do to lower their cholesterol, their numbers are going to improve."